Former New York corrections officer Ralph Keppler, his girlfriend Francesca Kiel, 21, charged with beating Kiel’s mother to death with a barbell over failed business deal
Former NY correction officer Ralph Keppler and his girlfriend are charged with beating the latter’s mother to death with a barbell over a failed business deal
Keppler, 27, and Francesca Kiel, 21, have been charged with second-degree murder in the beating death of Francesca’s 56-year-old mother, Theresa Kiel
Mrs Kiel was attacked with a barbell and beaten into a coma at her Long Island apt on Dec 4, 2016, allegedly by the pair of her daughter and the daughter’s boyfriend
The victim who suffered a shattered skull, losing her right eye and most of her teeth, passed away from her injuries at the hospital on Saturday evening after two years in a vegetative state
Prosecutors say Keppler had accused Theresa and her son of swindling him out of $350,000 that he had given them to develop a new dating app
![Ralph Keppler, [left], and Francesca Kiel [right] 1.JPG](https://i0.wp.com/konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Ralph-Keppler-left-and-Francesca-Kiel-right-1.jpg?resize=620%2C372&ssl=1)
Ralph Keppler, [left], and his girlfriend, Francesca Kiel [right], have been charged with second-degree murder in the beating death of Francesca’s mother, Theresa Kiel
A former New York City correction officer and his girlfriend have been charged with murder, two years after the pair allegedly beat the girlfriend’s mother with a barbell.
Authorities in Nassau County say 27-year-old Ralph Keppler and 21-year-old Francesca Kiel, both of Lynbrook, Long Island, brutally attacked 56-year-old Theresa Kiel at her Long Beach apartment on the night of December 4, 2016.
The victim lost her right eye and multiple teeth, had a portion of her skull shattered and remained in a vegetative state until she succumbed to her injuries at North Shore Manhasset Hospital on Saturday evening.
Ralph Keppler, 27 (left), and his girlfriend, 21-year-old Francesca Kiel (right), have been charged with second-degree murder in the beating death of Francesca’s mother, Theresa Kiel..
Theresa Kiel, 56, passed away on Saturday, nearly two years after being beaten into a coma with a barbell at her Long Island apartment.
Victim: Theresa Kiel, [photo], passed away on Saturday, nearly two years after being beaten into a coma with a barbell at her Long Island apt, allegedly by her daughter and her boyfriend
‘Theresa Kiel was robbed of all quality of life when this defendant allegedly shattered her skull with a metal barbell as she walked to her Long Beach apartment,’ Nassau District Attorney Madeline Singas said in a press release from February 2018 announcing Keppler’s indictment on the initial charges, which have now been upgraded.
‘This barbaric attack, allegedly motivated by a business dispute and perpetrated by a then corrections officer, has left Kiel in a persistent vegetative state, and prosecutors in my office are committed to holding this defendant accountable.’
Theresa Kiel seen [photo], being loaded into an ambulance on Dec 4, 2016, was struck in the face with such force that a portion of her skull caved in and she lost her right eye
Prosecutors had alleged the motive to be a business dispute.
Detectives say Francesca Kiel plotted the murder, conspiring with Keppler, a former Rikers Island correction officer.
Keppler had been charged back in January with attempted murder and assault and was out on bail. His lawyer says he’s innocent.
After Theresa Kiel’s death, his charges were upgraded to second-degree murder — and the victim’s daughter, Francesca Kiel, also of Lynbrook, was slapped with the same charge.
Francesca Kiel had not been charged until Monday. Her lawyer says the arrest came as a shock: “Francesca unfortunately has to bury her mother, while also fighting allegations, which obviously, she vehemently denies,” said defense attorney Geoffrey Prime.
![Francesca Kiel [left] and Ralph Keppler, [right] 2](https://i0.wp.com/konniemoments.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Francesca-Kiel-left-and-Ralph-Keppler-right-2.jpg?resize=620%2C417&ssl=1)
Killers: Prosecutors say Francesca and her former correction officer boyfriend attacked Mrs Kiel over a business dispute
According to a lawsuit filed by Keppler in May 2016, Theresa and her son spent the former prison guard’s money on cosmetic surgeries, a luxury car, hair salon appointments and clothes, reported the New York Post.
Kiel’s family, has filed court documents accusing Keppler of holding Francesca ‘as a financial, emotional and sexual hostage.’
The complaint, which was dismissed by a judge in December 2017, claimed that Keppler monitored Francesca’s phone and email, forced her to get breast implants and coerced her into saying that her own mother was prostituting her.
Keppler had been out on bail, but was re-arrested on Sunday.
During their arraignment on Monday, both Keppler and his girlfriend were ordered held in jail without bail.
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